Optical connection device and optoelectronic hybrid apparatus including the same

ABSTRACT

An optical connection device includes: a substrate; an optical waveguide provided in the substrate; and plural optical connection ports provided in the optical waveguide and having at least one of a light output port and a light input port, the light output port outputting light to the optical waveguide, the light input port receiving light from the optical waveguide, and is characterized by further including an arithmetic circuit for, using a key, selectively decoding an optical signal which has been coded in such a manner that it is decoded only at a light input port that is given a key for decoding and which has been outputted from a light output port to the optical waveguide to be received at the light input port.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an optical connection device foroptically interconnecting an electric circuit substrate and electricchips in a package, and the like through an optical connection port andthrough an optical waveguide, and relates to an optoelectronic hybridapparatus or the like that includes the optical connection device.

BACKGROUND ART

A large number of LSI chips which are highly integrated are used toraise the performance of personal computers, cellular phones, mobilemachines represented by personal digital assistants (PDAs), digitalaudio/visual (AV) equipment, and the like that supportinformation-oriented society. A packaging technique that allows such LSIchips to be densely mounted and driven at high speed is being demandedsince conventional packaging technologies which use electric connectionsalone have reached the limit in solving such problems as transmissiondelay and crosstalk and in reducing electromagnetic interference (EMI).Against this background, a system that uses optical connection incombination with electric connection is being considered.

Several cases of optically interconnecting chips have been proposed. Oneof those cases is a system in which a slab waveguide is formed from anorganic polymer on a flat substrate and is used as a transmissionmedium. This system supposedly has advantages over a system in which alinear optical waveguide is elaborated, such as having bettercompatibility with LSI chips and with boards or packages for mountingLSI chips, being easier to manufacture, and allowing chips tointerconnect freely. An example of this case is disclosed in JP08-293836 A. A structural example thereof is shown in FIG. 9. Asubstrate 201′ is equipped with an optical waveguide layer that issealed with a polymer sealing material 209. An insulating layer 208 ofthe substrate 201′ has transmitter elements 204 and 206 and a receiverelement 205. An LSI board 202 is mounted to achieve signal transmissionbetween LSIs through a slab optical waveguide 201″ (signal light 203). Ahologram 207 is used to optically couple the transmitter elements 204and 206, the receiver element 205, and the waveguide 201″ to oneanother, and a wavelength-controlling element controls the state ofcoupling between the elements.

However, the above method, which uses a wavelength-controlling elementto control connection between LSI chips, requires the receiver elementand the wavelength-controlling element to be highly stable and thereforeis difficult to carry out in the vicinity of LSIs where the temperatureenvironment is not always appropriate.

On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,219 discloses the followinginformation processing apparatus. That is, the information processingapparatus comprises means forming a planar optical waveguide whichextends in two dimensions and serves as a shared medium, a plurality oflight-emitting means and a plurality of light-detecting means extendingin a two dimensional arrangement over said planar optical waveguide forbroadcasting light signals and abstracting light signals, respectively,into and from said planar optical waveguide, and a plurality ofsubsystems including input and output ports for processing the lightsignals in the shared medium, the light-detecting means being coupled toinput ports and the light-emitting means being coupled to output portsof the subsystems.

The United States patent discloses the optical connection, but is notmuch flexible in forming an optical connection.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical connectiondevice capable of establishing a flexible wiring structure by utilizingoptical code division multiplexing (OCDM), encryption and the like whilemaking use of optical waveguide technologies, an example of the flexiblewiring structure being wiring reconstruction (reconfigurable wiring)that allows wiring between chips to be reconstructed in a waveguide, andto provide an optoelectronic hybrid apparatus or the like that includesthe optical connection device.

An optical connection device according to the present inventionincludes: a substrate; an optical waveguide provided in the substrate;and plural optical connection ports provided in the optical waveguideand having at least one of a light output port and a light input port,the light output port outputting light to the optical waveguide, thelight input port receiving light from the optical waveguide, and ischaracterized by further comprising an arithmetic circuit for outputtingfrom the light output port into the optical waveguide an optical signalcoded so as to be decoded only at a side of the light input port towhich a key for decoding is given, and for decoding selectively with thekey the optical signal received at the light input port.

This optical connection device enables the light input port (lightreceiving portion) to selectively receive signals, so that onlynecessary signals are received, and thus is capable of establishing aflexible wiring structure including wiring reconstruction that makes itpossible to change how signals are transmitted between ports as the needarises and a wiring structure for private communications or the like.Furthermore, when plural light input ports are connected to the opticalwaveguide, the optical connection device can accordingly establish aflexible wiring structure including reconstruction of wiring between theoptical connection ports by using optical code division multiplexing orthe like. In this case, a flexible wiring structure such as opticalreconfigurable wiring is established by utilizing optical code divisionmultiplexing or the like without changing the structure of the opticalconnection through the optical waveguide substantially, which makes itpossible to utilize the advantages of optical connection while avoidingthe drawbacks of electric connection. These functions and actionseffectively work also for an optoelectronic hybrid apparatus, itsdriving method, and electronic equipment which are described below.

An optoelectronic hybrid apparatus according to the present inventionincludes: the optical connection device of the present invention; anelectric circuit; and plural electric chips for operating the electriccircuit, and is characterized in that optical signals are transmittedand received between the electric chips through the optical connectionports by the arithmetic circuit. The optoelectronic hybrid apparatus mayfurther include a processing circuit for controlling optical signalstransmitted and received between the electric chips, in which theprocessing circuit is connected to the electric chips through electricwiring.

In addition, a method of driving an optoelectronic hybrid apparatusaccording to the present invention is characterized by including:propagating an optical signal for optical connection between pluralelectric chips to a specific region or an entirety of the opticalwaveguide to be receivable by one or more other electric chips than theelectric chip that is coding and transmitting; and decoding andreceiving a desired optical signal only by the electric chip that isgiven a key for decoding out of the electric chips that are capable ofreception. In the method of driving an optoelectronic hybrid apparatus,coding that satisfies mutual orthogonal relation may enable pluralelectric chips to simultaneously transmit optical signals in a sameoptical waveguide and desired signals are decoded by the electric chipsthat are given corresponding decoding keys to carry out optical codedivision multiplexing. Further, the apparatus may be run by switchingthe transmitter electric chip and the receiver electric chip, how theelectric chips are connected to one another, and the coding method inorder as the need arises. Further, it may be such that the opticalsignal is modulated with a code that is capable of detecting an error orcorrecting an error and, when an error is detected in the receiverelectric chip, an error detection signal is transmitted to thetransmitter electric chip to prompt the transmitter electric chip tore-transmit the optical signal to the receiver electric chip ifnecessary. Furthermore, it may be such that an error detection signal istransmitted, through electric wires connected to the electric chips, tothe processing circuit for controlling transmission and reception ofoptical signals between the electric chips, and the processing circuittransmits, to the plural electric chips, a control signal thatdetermines a code division multiplexing number, a signal transmissionrate, a transmission timing and the like for optical connection betweenthe plural electric chips to control the number of errors for performingoptimal control through central management.

An electronic equipment according to the present invention has theoptoelectronic hybrid apparatus incorporated, the apparatus beingstructured to be capable of reconstructing optical connection betweenthe electric chips by a driving method of the present invention, and ischaracterized in that switching between plural embedded systems is madeat a high speed by one equipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an optoelectronic hybrid apparatusaccording to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating chip packaging in theoptoelectronic hybrid apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating how an optical signal is transferred inthe optoelectronic hybrid apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating light exit directions in theoptoelectronic hybrid apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating a method of controlling anoptical signal in an optoelectronic hybrid apparatus according toEmbodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart example for optical code division multiplexingaccording to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of state transitionaccording to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a mobile terminal according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional opticalconnection device that uses a slab optical waveguide.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Specific embodiments are described below with reference to the drawingsto clarify a mode of carrying out the present invention.

Embodiment 1

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an optoelectronic hybrid apparatus asEmbodiment 1 of the present invention. In this embodiment, a substrate 2which constitutes multilayer electric wiring and an optical waveguidelayer 1 which enables optical free connection are integrated. Theoptical waveguide layer 1 is a slab waveguide and, as indicated byreference symbol 6 in FIG. 1, is capable of propagating light in everydirection. The optical waveguide layer 1 which is a single layer isplaced on the top as a result of integration in the mode shown in thisdrawing, but other modes are employable including one in which layers ofoptical waveguide are integrated with an electric wiring layer to beplaced inside the electric wiring layer.

The material of the substrate 2 that constitutes multilayer electricwiring may be FR4, which is used to form a printed wiring board, or maybe an organic material such as polyimide resin or aramid resin, or aninorganic ceramic material such as Al₂O₃ or AlN, or glass, or a hybridmaterial obtained by combining some of those materials. The electricwiring layers are built up such that via holes 9 connect electric wires8 of the electric wiring layers to one another. An electrode 3 isprovided as an interface to the external, to thereby constituteso-called system in package (SiP) in which the entire chip has onefunction. This means that the chip form is chip size package (CSP), andthe package size is 10 mm square to 50 mm square. Passive chips such asa resistor, a capacitor, and a coil, or an IC as an active chip, may beincorporated in the layers of the multilayer electric wiring.

In this embodiment, the optical waveguide layer 1 placed on top of theelectric wiring layers as a result of integration is resin formed into aslab that has a thickness of 100 μm. The thickness of the opticalwaveguide layer 1 is not limited thereto. The waveguide material usedhere is polycarbonate Z. Other preferable waveguide materials arepolyimide, siloxane, SU-8 (a product name), BCB, and polysilane, andorganic material polymers obtained by coupling functional groups toprincipal chains or side chains of those materials, and olygomer andother optical plastic materials that are relatively high in glasstransition temperature. Mounted on the waveguide layer 1 are bare chips,Si-Ics 1 to 5 (4 a to 4 e). Optical connection between the chips isestablished by light I/O elements (constituting light input and/oroutput ports which are optical connection ports) integrated under thechips, specifically, by semiconductor lasers and pin photodiodes. Thebare chips are preferably so-called wafer-level chip size packages(WLCSPs) in which electrodes for electric connection are created at thesame time when ICs are fabricated. For chip interconnection, opticalconnection is employed in a reconfigurable wiring portion whereaselectric connection is built by the electric wires 8 of the substrate 2through via wires that are formed in the optical waveguide layer 1, orby electric wires that are formed on the optical waveguide layer 1. TheIC chips may be LSIs or VLSIs, which are large-scale integratedcircuits, and are a mixture of ones having the CPU function, ones havingthe memory function, and ones having the DSP function. Optical spacetransmission 37 from the optical waveguide layer 1 also handlesconnection between the chips and the external. The optical waveguidelayer 1 is sized to the substrate 2 but the present invention is notlimited to this mode. Instead, the optical waveguide layer may be formedonly in a region where the optical waveguide layer is necessary.

An example of chip packaging is shown in FIG. 2, which is a sectionalview of one chip and its periphery. A bare chip LSI 20 is mounted on theoptical waveguide layer 1 between electrodes 24 and 25 with a solderbump 26. Other bumps 26 connect electrodes of the bare chip LSI 20 to anelectrode 10 for driving a light emitting element 27, an electrode 11for driving a light receiving element 28, and an electric wire 5, whichis formed on a surface of the optical waveguide layer 1. The electrode24 is connected to an electric wire 21, which is on the substrate 2,through a via wire 23, which pierces the optical waveguide layer 1. Thevia wires 9 and the internal wires 8 in the substrate 2 are further usedto form an electric circuit. The chips are electrically connected to oneanother through the electric wire 21 and the internal wires 8.

This embodiment uses the slab optical waveguide 1 to make opticalconnection in a broadcast manner as described above. An optical signalfrom the light emitting element 27 is transmitted by using ahemispherical reflector 12 to couple the signal to the optical waveguidelayer 1, and an optical signal propagated from other chips through theoptical waveguide layer 1 is received by similarly using a reflector 13to couple the signal to the light receiving element 28. If the centersof these optical elements match the vertex positions of the reflectorsin a vertical direction of the optical waveguide layer 1, the opticalelements can be optically coupled to the entire direction of the slaboptical waveguide 1 and, in contrast, if decentered, the opticalelements are optically coupled to only a region of the slab opticalwaveguide 1 that has a certain radiation angle. The most appropriatepropagation mode is chosen in accordance with the position of the LSIchip and required intensity of light. To elaborate, an IC 1 in a centralportion of a substrate (optoelectronic hybrid apparatus) 30, and otherslike the IC 1, let light exit in 360° directions in order to transmitsignals to other IC chips whereas an IC 5 at an edge of the substrate 30in FIG. 3, and others like the IC 5, only have to let light exit in anecessary direction, for example, a 90° direction (35). In this case,the center of the light emitting element and the vertex of the lightreflector in the optical waveguide layer 1 are detuned to limitpropagation directions. That way, less light is lost from diffusion oflight and the transmission distance is allowed to extend and reach theIC chip in the opposite corner. This is because, while the optical powerper unit area is attenuated in proportion to 1/(2πR), R representing thepropagation distance, when light is diffused in 360° directions as longas the propagation loss of the waveguide 1 is sufficiently small, theoptical power per unit area is in proportion to 2/(πR) when propagationis limited in a 90° direction.

The optical elements used in this embodiment can be GaAs-based planarsemiconductor lasers, pin photodiodes, and others. With the use of athin film formed to a thickness of 7 μm on the optical waveguide layer 1to be integrated after a GaAs substrate is removed (Functional LayerTransfer: FLT), enough height clearance is obtained if normal solderbumps (30 μm φ to 100 μm φ) are used to mount the LSIs. In the casewhere the GaAs substrate is not removed, spacers (not shown in thedrawing) may be inserted between the IC chip 20 and the opticalwaveguide layer 1 in order to protect the optical elements. The opticalelements may be hybrid-integrated on the IC chip or may be buried in theoptical waveguide layer 1. When buried in the optical waveguide layer 1,the optical elements lay low in concave portions and therefore eliminatethe need for spacers.

Next, a description is given on control and operation of thisreconfigurable optical connection with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is aplan view in which the optoelectronic hybrid apparatus 30 of FIG. 1 isviewed from above. Circular regions (31 a to 31 e) represent points oftransmitting (output) and/or receiving (input) light of the ICs. Dottedarrows on the optoelectronic hybrid apparatus 30 indicate signal flowbetween ICs 31, not directions of propagation of light. The opticaltransmission is broadcast in the slab waveguide as described above and,in addition, all of the IC chips 31 transmit light simultaneously.

Of several code division multiplexing methods, employed here is codemultiplexing that uses on-off keying for information modulation and usesa diffusion code in the time slot to diffuse an on signal along the timeaxis. For that reason, arithmetic circuits (not shown in the drawing)for coding are integrated in each of the ICs 31 so that a light emittingelement of a light output port is modulated by output of the arithmeticcircuits. For instance, a transmission signal of the IC 4 (31 d) is 1010and is coded at the signal portions of 1 to thereby modulate the lightemitting element and obtain an optical code. This makes the optical coderate faster than the clock rate of transmission data which are electricsignals, and the code multiplexing number determines the progressiveincrement. Here, the signal clock rate is set to 1.2 GHz and four pulsesare outputted and coded in one time slot, in other words, an opticalorthogonal code having a code length of 4 is employed, and opticalmodulation is therefore carried out at 4.8 Gbps. Transmission data fromthe rest of the ICs 31, for example, the IC 1 (31 a) and IC 2 (31 b) arecoded differently, so that optical codes are transmitted simultaneouslywithin the same slab waveguide 1. Although the transmission data in FIG.4 are in synchronous with one another, the transmission data may beasynchronous with one another or may be different from one another intiming to start a signal or in clock frequency.

Reception data can be decoded only by a receiver IC that is given a keyfor coding carried out by a desired transmitter IC. An unnecessarysignal has an orthogonal relation with the given key and becomes zero(namely, forms a cross-correlation waveform) and only a desired signalis outputted as an auto-correlation waveform. For this processing, amatched filter and a threshold circuit (Schmidt trigger or the like) areintegrated in an IC and are placed as an arithmetic circuit downstreamof a light detector and an amplifier on the light input port side. InFIG. 4, a signal of the IC 4 can be replaced by a signal of the IC 3, asignal of the IC 1 can be replaced by a signal of the IC 2 or IC 5, anda signal of the IC 2 can be replaced by a signal of the IC 1. The signalflow and the number of the ICs operating shown here are merely anexample and the present invention is not limited thereto. It is alsopossible to change how the ICs are connected as time passes.

Coding methods other than the one employed here include a method inwhich the pulse position is used for secondary modulation upon coding toraise the transmission rate and a method which uses phase shift keying,PSK, for coding. The decision of a coding method to be employed is madein accordance with specification and cost. It is also possible toutilize a wiring structure for private communications through atechnique which uses keys to encrypt and decrypt. In this case, lightleaked from the waveguide will not be read by outsiders.

As has been described, this embodiment can provide, without using anyspecial optical parts, by simply adding electronic circuits such as anarithmetic circuit for code calculation processing and a controller toan IC chip, a chip-hybrid system LSI capable of wiring reconstructionwhich allows plural signals to be connected and switched at high speedand high efficiency by optical code division multiplexing or the likewith the use of broadcast optical transmission in a slab waveguide.

Embodiment 2

In Embodiment 2 of the present invention, transmission data are errordetecting codes or error correcting codes. For instance, when a signalsequence from an IC is composed of n signals, a1, a2, a3, a4, a5, a6, .. . an (ai is 0 or 1), there is a method in which α is added to the tailof a code sequence before the sequence is transferred. α is expressed asfollows:a1(+)a2(+)a3(+)a4(+)a5(+) . . . (+) an =α  (1)wherein (+) represents addition modulo 2. On the reception side,Expression (1) is calculated to check whether α matches or not and seeif there is an error through parity check. If a code error is detected,a signal to notify the fact is transmitted to the IC that hastransmitted the error-containing data. The signal that notifies an errormay be transferred through electric wiring in an electric wiring layer.Upon receiving the error signal, the IC that has transmitted theerror-containing data re-transmits data.

In the case where transmission data is composed of a hamming code, anerror can be corrected on the reception side. For instance, when asignal b1, b2, a1, b3, a2, a3, a4, which is obtained by adding 3 bitsb1, b2, and b3 as detection sign to 4 bits a1, a2, a3, and a4 forinformation transmission, b1, b2, and b3 are determined to satisfy thefollowing equations:b3(+)a2(+)a3(+)a4=0b2(+)a1(+)a3(+)a4=0b1(+)a1(+)a2(+)a4=0In this example, error correction is possible for 1 bit and errordetection is possible for 2 bits. If there are too many errors tocorrect, a signal for notifying the fact is transferred to the IC thathas transmitted the data.

The code multiplexing number and the transmission rate may be controlledby the incidence of such error correction. To elaborate, whileEmbodiment 1 shows that signals can be transmitted from and received byICs asynchronously, in practice, the error incidence could be increaseddepending on the multiplexing number due to an increase in noise of whena matched filter is used for processing. If this is monitored with theuse of an error correction code or the like, total control for reducingerrors is achieved.

To this end, a processing circuit 50 for controlling the number oferrors is added as shown in FIG. 5A, for example. The processing circuit50 is composed of a counter 52, a circuit 53, and a circuit 54 as shownin FIG. 5B. The counter 52 counts the number of errors. The circuit 53calculates the error incidence. The circuit 54 controls the signaldistribution of transmission data and timing such as transmission rate.The processing circuit 50 is connected to the ICs through signal lines51, which are provided by electric wiring in an electric circuitsubstrate. In some cases, transmission between some of the ICs may bestopped to transmit a burst of signals. For such signal transmissioncontrol, the processing circuit 50 may be operated consulting a memory55, in which the order of priority of signal transmission between thechips is programmed in advance. Although FIG. 5A illustrates how theprocessing circuit 50 and the chips are connected, other things arearbitrary including what wiring pattern is to be employed, whether thecircuit and the chips are to be placed on the top face or the bottomface of the optical waveguide layer, whether or not internal wiring ofthe electric circuit substrate is employed.

Such central management in which the error incidence is controlled in aconcentric manner is beneficial when code multiplexing transmission iscarried out in a small region, since optimum control is achieved withoutdelay. Of course, it is also possible to employ, as in opticalcommunication systems, distributed control in which every IC is notifiedof error information to control the error incidence. In this embodiment,the processing circuit 50 transmits, to plural electric chips, inaccordance with the number of errors, a control signal that determinesthe code multiplexing number, transmission timing, and the transmissionrate for connection between the ICs. Thus optimum control is achieved bycentral management and it enables the embodiment to provide achip-hybrid system LSI which is capable of wiring reconstruction andwhich is highly reliable with reduced signal processing errors.

This embodiment too can provide, without using any special opticalparts, by simply adding electronic circuits such as an arithmeticcircuit for code calculation processing and a controller to an IC chip,a chip-hybrid system LSI capable of wiring reconstruction which allowsplural signals to be connected and switched at high speed and highefficiency by optical code division multiplexing or the like with theuse of broadcast optical transmission in a slab waveguide.

Embodiment 3

In Embodiment 3 of the present invention, combinations of signaltransfer between IC chips and keys for coding are programmed in advanceto run the system by central management. The structure thereof issimilar to the one described in Embodiment 2 and shown in FIG. 5. To bespecific, control is made by transferring transmission timing andreception timing of the ICs and keys for coding through the wires 51 tothe chips in accordance with a sequence read out of the memory. This maybe carried out at the same time when the error incidence controldescribed in Embodiment 1 takes place.

A flow chart example is shown in FIG. 6. With a start signal, threesignal exchange frames are executed sequentially. To elaborate, signalsare transmitted between the IC chips frame by frame, and how the ICchips are connected, coding, and the like are combined freely as shownin FIG. 6. The processing circuit 50 executes control in a manner thatachieves the optimum transmission in each frame, in other words, in amanner that makes the signal exchange time including error correctionthe shortest.

To run actual embedded equipment, a sequence for shifting between thoseoperations is incorporated. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example ofthe state transition. The equipment operates while being shifted betweenprogrammed operations by some kind of switch SW (e.g.,externally-conducted switching operation). Depending on the situation, aunique operation program may be downloaded from an outside source to thememory to add a new function to the equipment or upgrade the equipment.How signals are connected thus can be changed by a method of executing asequence which is programmed in advance to give a key for coding and amethod of downloading a program from an outside source to add to orwrite over the existing program.

As an example of equipment suitable for such operation, FIG. 8 shows amobile terminal 80 whose embedded system employs the above-describedstructure. The mobile terminal 80 is equipped with a man-machineinterface and a radio unit. The interface includes a display portion 81,a button manipulation portion 82, a dial manipulation portion 83, andothers. The radio unit includes an antenna 84 for exchanging signalswith the external. Provided inside the mobile terminal 80 are a mainboard 85 and a chip or package 86 with optical reconfigurable wiring ofthe present invention built in. The main board 85 and the chip orpackage 86 constitute the embedded system.

Lately, there are many wireless systems including WCDMA and CDMA 2000xpublic cellular phone networks, PHS, wireless LAN (such as IEEE 802.11a,b), wireless IEEE.1394, ultra wide band (UWB), and Bluetooth. Smoothswitching between these systems and a radio unit capable of processingthese systems with one chip are expected. An optoelectronic hybrid chipof the present invention makes a so-called software radio reality, andis capable of switching between plural wireless systems dynamically athigh speed. Therefore, small-sized digital electronic equipment capableof high-speed processing can be provided.

For various systems other than software radio, an optoelectronic hybridchip of the present invention can handle multimedia processing in whichaudio and visuals are given, for example, compression and expansion, athigh speed. It is also possible to let an optoelectronic hybrid chip ofthe present invention function alone as a small-sized, high-performance,wireless tag or to build a large-scale embedded system such as a robotby coupling a large number of chips to one another. In addition to theseuses, an optoelectronic hybrid chip of the present invention can beapplied to electronic equipment in general that needs embeddingprocessing to improve the performance of such electronic equipment. Forexample, the present invention can be used to build copying machines,printers, and other OA equipment that are capable of high-speedmultimedia processing, image pickup apparatus, and measuring equipmentcapable of high-speed conversion.

An optoelectronic hybrid apparatus in which the above-described ICchips, optical connection device, and electric wiring layer are unified,is a system LSI which is densely packaged and which can switch systemsat high speed, and can function as SoC which exhibits multiple functionswith one chip or as SiP which is made into a package to be mounted to anelectric circuit substrate. It is also possible to utilize theoptoelectronic hybrid apparatus as an optoelectronic hybrid substrate toserve as one daughter board. Thus an apparatus of the present inventionencompasses all levels from the chip level to the substrate level by wayof size, packaging method, application method, operation system, etc.

This makes it possible to provide, at relatively low cost,densely-packaged electronic equipment or the like in which pluralarchitectures are built from minimum chips and wires, a switch isreadily made between different architectures, and high-speed multimediaprocessing is possible. Also, optimum processing can be performed bychoosing a necessary embedded system on site and, in addition, switchingbetween the systems can be made at high speed by simple control.

As described above, according to the present invention, an opticalconnection device capable of establishing a flexible wiring structuresuch as wiring reconstruction is provided and the device makes itpossible to switch transmission signals in electronic equipment or thelike by utilizing optical code multiplexing, encryption, and the like.

1. An optoelectronic apparatus, which comprises an optical connectiondevice, an electric circuit, and plural electric chips: said opticalconnection device comprising: a substrate; an optical waveguide providedin the substrate; plural optical connection ports provided in theoptical waveguide and having a light output port and a light input port,wherein the light output port is for outputting light to the opticalwaveguide, and the light input port is for receiving light from theoptical waveguide; and an arithmetic circuit for outputting from thelight output port into the optical waveguide an optical signal coded soas to be decoded only at a side of the light input port to which a keyfor decoding is given, and for decoding selectively with the key theoptical signal received at the light input port, wherein said pluralelectric chips are for operating said electric circuit, and the opticalsignal is transmitted and received between the electric chips throughthe optical connection ports and the arithmetic circuit, and wherein theoptical signal for optical connection between plural electric chips ispropagated to a specific region or an entirety of the optical waveguideto be receivable by one or more receiver electric chips other than anelectric chip that codes and transmits, so that a desired optical signalis coded in a manner that satisfies a mutual orthogonal relation thatenables plural electric chips to simultaneously transmit plural opticalsignals in a same optical waveguide, and to decode and be received onlyby an electric chip that is given a key for decoding to carry outoptical code division multiplexing, based on a switching of a connectionbetween the electric chip that codes and transmits and a said receiverelectric chip.
 2. An optoelectronic apparatus according to claim 1,further comprising a processing circuit for controlling optical signalstransmitted and received between the electric chips characterized inthat the processing circuit is connected to the electric chips throughelectric wiring.
 3. The optoelectronic apparatus according to claim 1,characterized in that the optical signal is modulated with a code thatis capable of detecting an error or correcting an error and, when anerror is detected in a said receiver electric chip, an error detectionsignal is transmitted to the electric chip that transmits to prompt theelectric chip that transmits to re-transmit the optical signal to thereceiver electric chip if necessary.
 4. The optoelectronic apparatusaccording to claim 1, characterized in that an error detection signal istransmitted, through electric wires connected to the electric chips, tothe processing circuit for controlling transmission and reception ofoptical signals between the electric chips, and the processing circuittransmits, to the plural electric chips, a control signal thatdetermines a code division multiplexing number, a signal transmissionrate, a transmission timing, for optical connection between the pluralelectric chips to control the number of errors for performing optimalcontrol through central management.
 5. An electronic equipment whichincludes the optoelectronic apparatus according to claim 1,characterized in that switching between plural embedded systems is madeby one equipment.
 6. The optoelectronic apparatus according to claim 1,characterized in that the apparatus is run by switching the electricchip that transmits and a said receiver electric chip, how the electricchips are connected to one another, and a coding method in order as theneed arises.